The Golden State Warriors somehow have both an obvious strategy for NBA trade season and a potentially impossible puzzle to solve between now and the Feb. 5 trade deadline. A Jonathan Kuminga deal feels near-certain (unless it maybe doesn't?), but how high can and should this club aim for an upgrade? What exactly is the value of a fifth-year player who's not guaranteed nightly minutes? And how hard should a roughly .500 team really push in the fully loaded West?
The Athletic's Sam Vecenie recently attempted to tackle the topic on the Game Theory Podcast, and while a few (uninspiring) names were mentioned, the best summation of the talk might have been his admission that "I don't know what to do if I'm Golden State."
Yikes.
The players thrown around as possible targets wouldn't solve the real issues.
Stephen Curry, who turns 38 years young in March, remains remarkably close to the peak of his powers. And Jimmy Butler is basically pumping in 20 points and five assists a night, perfectly suitable production for an offensive co-star.
And yet, this offense is, as a whole, underwhelming. Not to get too technical on you, but it stinks like those buried-in-the-back-of-the-fridge leftovers you should've tossed out a week ago. Curry plus Butler should add up to more than a 20th ranking in offensive efficiency, per NBA.com, but that speaks to the shortcomings of this supporting cast.
Hence why this team is so often mentioned in trade talks. The issue is finding the Kuminga-focused package that delivers someone capable of filling the third-option void.
The players mentioned by Vecenie and co-host Bryce Simon would hardly be guaranteed problem-solvers in Golden State: Bobby Portis and Andre Jackson Jr.; Jusuf Nurkic; Anfernee Simons; Coby White and Jalen Smith (which Vecenie noted would probably require a draft pick being attached to Kuminga).
Where's the exciting option in that group? Where is the "bucket-getter," as Simon put it, who could provide Curry and Butler the kind of assistance they need?
Simons and White are the most natural scorers, but neither is super-efficient, and they don't play the kind of defense demanded by Curry's backcourt mate. Would they even be automatic upgrades over Brandin Podziemski? The stat sheet isn't seeing it.
Every player mentioned above has flaws. Which, unfortunately, makes total sense. Golden State is dangling a flawed trade asset, so why would teams send back anything but the same?
The theoretical upside Kuminga possesses gets less interesting for potential suitors by the day. Could he grow his game in a more consistent role than the Warriors given him? Maybe. His physical tools are intriguing, and he's shown a clear knack for scoring.
Still, he's a 23-year-old who's playing in his fifth NBA season. You'd hope the growing-pains portion of his career would be mostly behind him. But if they are, why aren't the Warriors bothering to play him?
Their usage of him—or lack thereof, really—has almost totally torpedoed his trade value. Any team willing to take this "problem" off of Golden State's hands will be looking to subtract a problem of its own.